Land-rolling device.



7 No 796,812. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

W. H. & H. T. GOLDWELL.

LAND ROLLING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ANDREW a Gimwn co. PNOYO-LITNOGRAPMERS. wAsnmc-ron. 0 cv No. 796,812. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

' W. H. & H. T. GOLDWELL.

LAND ROLLING DEVICE.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA G. 9. 1904.

SSSSSSSSSSSSS 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. (JOLDWELL AND HARRY T. COLDWELL, OF NEWBURGH,

. NEW YORK.

LAND-ROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Original application filed June 2, 1904, Serial No. 210,890. Divided and this application filed August 9, 1904. Serial No. 220,116.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. COLD- WELL and HARRY T. CoLDwELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Newburgh, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Land-Rolling Devices and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is an improvement in landrolling devices adapted for use with or to be embodied in motor lawn-mowers and is a division of our former application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed by us June 2, 1904, and given Serial No. 210,890, except as to the subject-matter of Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings, which was not included in the said prior application.

The invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form in which we have contemplated embodying it; and the invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

The improvements which form the subject-matter of this invention, while shown and described in connection. with and forming part of a motor lawn-mower, may also form part of or be embodied in rollers for rolling land or lawns or for other urposes where no cutting mechanism is emp oyed.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1- represents a motor lawn-mower embodying our present invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the traction and lawn-rolling rollers, showing the manner of mounting and driving the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of said rollers, showing the compensating gear. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the rollers and the compensating gear and illustrating the arrangement for lubricating the latter. Fig. 5 is a detail view in elevation of the traction and lawn-rolling rollers. Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, showing a modified form of .the traction and lawn-rolling rollers. Fig. 7 is a detail section of a modification of the means for lubricating the compensating gearing, showing a portion of the shaft or Fig. 8 is axle and a portion of the spider.

an enlarged detail of a portion of the shaft or axle, illustrating the manner of introducing the lubricant.

In the drawings, A A represent the main or motor-carrying frame, provided at the rear with the platform B and downwardly-extending hangers C, in which the shaft or axle D is mounted. The rollers E are mounted loosely on the shaft D. The front end of the main frame is supported in this instance by caster-wheels F, (only one of which is seen in the side elevation,) connected with a steering-lever F.

The traction and lawn-rolling rollers E may be two or more in number and are provided with spiral ribs e on their peripheries, the ribs of the end roller on one side extending in one direction and those on the end roller on the opposite side extending in the other direction. (See Fig. 5.) These ribs give the machine increased traction when the machine is moving over level ground, and when working in either direction on a side hill they keep the machine from slipping down hill. These ribs project but slightly from the faces of the rollers and do not, therefore, mar the lawn. Between adjacent rollers we provide a compensating gearing which is entirely incased within the adjacent ends of the rollers.

In Figs. 2, 4., and 5 two rollers E are shown upon the shaft D, and these rollers are provided with a compensating gear between them, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. It will be noted that the edges of the rollers E come very close together, thus entirely inclosing the compensating gear and forming a casing therefor, and, if preferred, an annular flange e is formed on or secured to one of the rollers within the same and extends into the other roller so as to cover the aperture between their meeting edges, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.. The compensating gearing being entirely inclosed within the roller-sections, it would be practically impossible to supply it with the required amount of lubricant in the ordinary manner without removing at least one of said roller-sections partially from its shaft. We therefore provide special means for supplying lubricant to the pinions of the com pensating gearing, which mechanism 1s shown herein; but the same is not claimed specifically in this application, as it forms the subject-matter of another application filed by us on or about March 6, 1905, and given Serial No. 248,567. The compensating gearing comprises the bevel gear-wheels e 6 secured to the hubs or arms of the rollers E, as shown, and a spider 6 mounted rigidly on the shaft or axle D and carrying the pinions c e e. The spider consists of a hub, which is cored out, as shown in Fig. 4, to form an annular recess 6 around the shaft D, and a number of arms extending radially from the hub, (in this instance three arms are shown,) each of said arms being cored lon itudinally, as indicated at e. Each of said arms carries one of the pinions e, and the bearing portions'of the arms are drilled to provide apertures 0 communicating with the cored centers of the arms. The shaft D is made hollow, as shown at d, to provide a reservoir of oil, and a hole (or holes) (1 is formed in the shaft communicating with the cored recess 6'' in the hub of the spider, thus supplying oil to all of the pinions 6 as will be clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The shaft D is closed at both ends, the closure at one end being removable to permit oil to be inserted. A screw-plug (Z is shown inserted in one end of the shaft D for this purpose.

In Fig. 6 we have shown the shaft D provided with three rollers E E E and having compensating gears of the kind just described inclosed within the adjacent ends of the rollers, as shown. By forming the rollers in three sections there is less liability of any part of the rollers sliding on the grass, which has a tendency to mar the lawn, and the more sections into which the rollers are divided the less is this sliding noticed. We may make the rollers in two, three, or more sections, as found most advantageous, it being under stood that the roller-sections are loose upon the shaft or axle and that compensating ears connected to the shaft are interpose between the adjacent ends of the roller-sections. All such compensating ears are provided with the construction for ubricating the pin ions thereof from the hollow shaft, such as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In Figs. 7 and 8 we have shown a modification of the means for introducing the lubricant. In these D represents the shaft or axle which carries the spider 6, both parts being constructed and arranged as previously described. Within the longitudinal oil-recess (Z of the shaft D we arrange a piston 1, fitting therein and provided with the rod 2 of any desired length. The shaft is also preferably provided with a transverse oil-passage 3, communicating with the passage cZ and we prefer to locate this passage 3 at such a distance from the end of the shaft that the piston 1 may be drawn out beyond said passage 3 without entirely withdrawing the piston from the shaft. The lubricant is then poured into the passage 3 and passes into the oil-passage d in the shaft until it is wholly or partly filled. By pushing the piston 1 into the shaft a portion of the oil will be forced to pass from the shaft through the hollow arms of the spider, and thus to the bearings of the compensating-gear pinions, as will be readily understood. The remaining portion of the oil will be retained in the passage (V and will find .its way gradually to the said pinions, thus maintaining a constant lubrication thereof. The stem orrod2 of the piston may be provided with any suitable retaining de vice. In the present instance we have shown a screw-cap 4, rotatably secured upon the end of the stem 2 by means of shoulders 5 5 on said stem on the inner and outer sides of said cap, the flange of the cap being interiorly threaded to screw on the end of the shaft D which is also threaded. It is preferable that the outer end of the passage 3 in the shaft should be covered by the flange of the cap when the latter is screwed in place, as shown, to prevent dust and dirt from etting in. The periphery of the cap 4 is pre erably milled or roughened, as shown, (or it maybe provided with a polygonal exterior, if preferred,) to facilitate removing and replacing the cap.

L represents the motor carried upon the frame A and provided with the main or crank shaft Z. The shaft D is provided with a sprocket-wheel D connected by chain D to a driving-sprocket Z on a counter-shaft Z, which derives its motion from the main shaft Z, and reversing mechanism of any preferred form is provided operated by hand-lever Z for applying power in either direction to the rollers E.

M represents a lawn-mower frame connected to the main frame and provided with a lever m for raising it out of operative position. The rotary cutter of the lawn-mower frame is driven from the motor by means of sprocket-chain m, as indicated in Fig. 1. N is a receptacle for catchin the cut grass. These parts form no part 0 our present invention, being covered by our former application, hereinbefore referred to, and will not, therefore, be more particularly described herein.

It is obvious that by raising the lawnmower frame out of operative. position or by removing it from the machine the latter can be used as a roller for rolling lawns and other ground.

What we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The combination with the main frame, of acombined traction and lawn-rolling roller formed in sections, and loosely mounted upon a common driving shaft or axle, compensating gearing interposed between the adjacent sections of said roller, said rollers having the adjacent ends of their peripheral portions abutting and forming a casing for the compensating gearing, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the main frame, of a combined traction and lawn-rolling roller formed in sections, and loosely mounted upon a common driving shaft or axle, compensating gearing interposed between the adjacent sections of said roller, said rollers having the adjacent ends of their peripheral portions abutting and forming a casing for the compensating gearing, and an annular flange secured to one of said meeting peripheral portions and extending into the other to prevent the admission of dirt and foreign material to the compensating gearing, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the main frame, of a combinedtraction and lawn-rolling roller formed of two or more sections placed end to end, compensating gearing located between each of said sections and the next adjacent section, said sections having the meeting ends of their peripheral portions in close proximity, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the main frame, of a combined traction and lawn-rolling roller formed of two or more sections placed end to end, compensating gearing located between each of said sections and the next adjacent section, said sections having the meeting ends of their peripheral portions in close proximity and flanges arranged within the meeting ends of said roller-sections and securedto one of said ends and projecting into the other to close the space between them and exclude dirt, and foreign matter from the said compensating gearings, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the main frame, of a combined traction and lawn-rolling roller formed in sections, and loosely mounted upon a common driving shaft or axle, compensating gearing interposed between the adjacent sections of said roller, said rollers having the adjacent ends of their peripheral portions abutting and forming a casing for the compensating gearing, and means for introducing oil to said compensating gearing for lubrieating the same without disturbing said rollers, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the main frame, of a combined traction and lawn-rolling roller formed in sections, and loosely mounted upon a common driving shaft or axle, compensating gearing interposed between the adjacent sections of said roller, said rollers having the adjacent ends of their peripheral portions abutting and forming a casing for the compensating gearing, and means for introducing oil to said compensating gearing from one end of the rollers, without removing either of said rollers, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the main frame, of rollers supporting the same, provided with smooth cylindrical surfaces and having spiral ribs arranged thereon and projecting outward slightly from said cylindrical surfaces for preventing said rollers from slipping sidewise and increasing the traction thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses;

WILLIAM H. COLDWELL. HARRY T. COLDWVELL.

Witnesses:

E. J. LEIoHT, C. B. Moss. 

